Ottawa Fire Services says crews battled a fire that broke out in a bedroom in the same highrise building that displaced hundreds of residents and sent three people to hospital in critical condition Thursday morning.
The bedroom fire happened on the sixth floor Friday evening at 1244 Donald St.
Firefighters say they received multiple calls reporting a fire in one of the apartments in the highrise building. When crews arrived on scene, they saw flames and immediately started extinguishing the fire. It was declared under control at 11:46 p.m.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Residents who are affected by this fire will be receiving help from the Canadian Red Cross and the Salvation Army, firefighters add.
The Ottawa Police Arson Unit said Thursday afternoon the fire at the Overbrook apartment building that sent two children and a woman to hospital in critical condition Thursday morning has been deemed suspicious.
“Three patients, an adult woman and two children that sustained critical smoke inhalation as a result of the fire,” said Ottawa Paramedics spokesperson Marc-Antoine Deschamps. “They were all taken to hospital in critical condition with life threatening injuries.”
It started on the third floor at 1244 Donald St. at around 6 a.m.
Crews say they were on scene four minutes into the initial call. When they arrived, they confirmed the heavy smoke in the building. They note that multiple residents were taking shelter at their balconies. The fire became under control at 6:54 a.m.
Ottawa Paramedic told CTV News Ottawa on Thursday that there were 14 injuries in total. While six patients were treated on scene, five others were taken to hospital in stable condition.
Hundreds of displaced residents sheltered nearby after the incident. They have been able to board OC Transpo buses later in the morning to regroup at the Overbrook Community Centre, according to firefighters.
Ottawa Fire Services chief Paul Hutt said the highrise building has approximately 136 units. He said that 50 apartments were impacted by the fire, citing water and smoke damage.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Katie Griffin